Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1887-01-15
INNOCENT MAN HUNG.
Robert Evan sproul Strung Up for MUIR
der he Never rCommittcd-SotIiied on
the scaiIold That lie Is Heir to a For

the scafIold That lie Is Heir to For
tune.
OTTAWA, Ont, Jan. ll.-For the six
months preceding the 2Sth day of Septem-
Der, 1896, there was throughout British
Columbia, and indeed throughout the Do
minlon Of Canada, the greatest interest
felt In the case of Robert Evan Sproul,
then under sentence Of death at ittoria,
b. T., for murder, 1t was u case of life or
death with the accused, and being an
American citizen, and that Government
being impressed with his innocence, taxi
ing every possible legal action to prevent
the hanging of the condemned, tended to
create more than ordinary interest in each
step OF the proceedings which were
then going on. Robert Evan Sproul was
miner who had moved to Canada from
Kennebec County, Maine, in 1850. He was
the part owner Of one Of the richest mino
IN the kootenay District of British Colum-
bia. On the lst day Of January. 1885, ono
Thomas Hammel, also a MINER and part
owner of the Sproul claim, was killed and
suspicion pointed to the accused Sproul as
the guilty man. He was arrested and
charged with the offense, but stoutly main
tanned his innocence, and on his
trial, which was had at Victoria,
b. C., endcavored to prove an alibi,
but failed. After the trial, his
counsel alleged certain Irregularities III the
hearing, among which was the non-descrip-
ton of the Court, but the Provincial Su-
premc Court sustained the decision of tho
lower Court, On the Sd Of May, 1886, on
the application Of the prisoners counsel,
an order nisi for writ of habeas corpus,
or, IN the alternative, for the discharge OF
the prisoner, was granted, and after delib.
Grafton Judgment was pronounced by
him directing the issue of writ
OF habcas corpus directed to the
Sheriff for Vancouver Island, calling up.
on him to produce the prisoner, together
with the cause Of his detention. The
sheriff refused to obey the writ, and on the
I'd day of August, 1856, an application was
made for the discharge of the prisoner, on
the ground that the sheriff had not obeyed
the writ. After hearing argument thcre.
on Mr. Justice Henry ordered the uncon
ditional discharge OF the prisoner. Five
rcspites were granted the condemned man
by the Government, and at last he was
hanged by order Of the Minister of Justice
who refused to interfere, although urged
so to do by Mayor Fell and some five hun
dred residents Of Victoria as well a. by
the Secretary of State of the United States
After the trial, the chief witness for the
prosecution, one Charles Wolf, made az
affidavit in due form that the evidenc,
given by him at the trial was false, an,
the American Consul at Victoria reported
TO the Lieutenant Governor of British Co
lumbia that after the investigation he be
lievcd the prisoner to be innocent Not
withstanding the order Of the highca
court in Canada, Sproul was hanged OF
the 2Sth of September He maintained hi
innocence on the gallows. Now witnos
whom he could not procure ON his trial In
| turned up in San Francisco, and in ordert
| satisfy the relatives Of Sproul tha
| he had been hanged for crll.., { whic
| he was innocent Beatty went before
| Judge of competent Jurisdiction and mad
affidavit that he was with SprUul fror
| eight o'clock in the evening of the 3lst @
May, lSo5, unit, half-past six of the nigh
following, and, moreover, that they wcr
! at least fifteen miles from the scene of tn
crime As the murder was committed be
tween these hours, according to the prose
cution, this disposes Of the theory tina
the accused Sproul did the deed Thl
affidavit has been filed here with tn
Secretary of State. Acting on the advic
of counsel Frank Sproul, a brother OF dc
ceased and administrator of his estate, ha
begun action against the Province O
British Columbia for $1,000 damages o.
account OF the illegal hanging of the az
cused. One strange thing in connection
with the affair is that four days before tn
execution o friend of the prisoner diet
in Boston bequcathing him slO0NC
which was not made known to the con
demned man until he walked onto the gal
lows.